Jews and the Rest of Humanity

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Rosh HaShanah 5764
Saturday, September 27, 2003

Last spring Shifrah and I spent a day at the Long Observatory in Santa Cruz. They had a display on how fish adapt in unique ways in order to survive. I learned that some fish can make themselves appear like plants in order to avoid their predators. Others can mimic fish that have poisonous stings in order to protect themselves. Still others attach themselves to a larger creature for safety and well being.

Being as there are 6.5 billion people in the world of whom only 13 million, one fifth of one percent, are Jewish, one might think that the appropriate survival mechanism under such circumstances is to lay low, fly under the radar and hope that no one notices you. There's even some support for that strategy in recent social science research about anti-Semitism.

There is a percentage of the population for whom the mere appearance of Jews in any spotlight confirms their belief in a Jewish conspiracy. The more often Jews appear in the news, the more anti-Semitic they become. For them recent attention to the role of Jewish neo-conservatives like Paul Wolfowitz or William Kristol confirms what they already believe. The news that Howard Dean's wife, Bob Kerrey's grandfather , and General Clark's father are Jewish is even more evidence of secret Jewish domination than the candidacy of the very public Jew, Joe Lieberman. For those people and perhaps for some others as well, the best strategy would be for the Jewish community to remain unnoticed, but that approach is not available for a number of reasons.

The first is the role Judaism plays in Christianity and in Islam. Hindus and Buddhist's don't have a theology of Judaism. Some Tibetan Buddhists, like the Dalai Lama, have expressed an interest in what they can learn from Judaism that's relevant to their own issues as a community in exile. Some Hindus are seeking contact with Jews, recognizing certain common interests and experiences between India and Israel. (I've met with a representative of one of these groups locally, and just wish I understood a little more about India's internal politics to see where this fits in). But in general an index in a book on Buddhism or Hinduism, Shintoism or Sikhism, will not have a long section on Jews or Judaism.

That can't be the case with Christianity and Islam. Their formation as religions that draw from the spiritual heritage of the Hebrew Scriptures makes their relationship with Judaism much more complicated. Christianity was forced to answer the question early on, why are their still Jews? And Mohammed had both political and ideological conflicts with the Jewish community, though he was also profoundly influenced by Jewish teaching. Relations between Christianity, Islam and the Jewish community have seen better and worse periods over the centuries: but the potential for Anti-Jewish feeling and action has existed within both Christianity and Islam at their theological core. That is at the heart of the current controversy about Mel Gibson's new film, which our scholar in residence will address later this year. In addition, in a world in which Christianity and Islam matter a great deal, even when anti-Jewish teachings are not given expression, it is still not possible for Jews to be invisible.

The second reason that a strategy of Jewish invisibility cannot work is the geography of the Middle East. Israel is located at the place where three continents connect. Never a major empire, not even in the time of King David, Israel has always lived at the edge of empires, at the place of their conflict with opposing powers. That is how it was in the time of the great prophets of the Bible, that it how it was during the Crusades and the Cold War, and that is how it continues to be today. Whether we are experiencing a Clash of Civilizations, or merely a struggle against the Al Queda, Israel is awfully close to the front. Because of Israel's place in the world, the turtle's mechanism for survival will not work for us: we cannot crawl into our homes and pretend that the rest of the world isn't there.

Finally, there is a third reason that ignoring the rest of the world will not work for us, and that relates to our theology and culture. It has been over 2,700 years since the vision of a Jewish God solely concerned with the Jewish people lost its credibility among the Jewish people. When Amos says: "for 3 sins of Damascus, yea for 4, I will not be silent", he is enunciating a theology in which the whole world matters. When Leviticus follows its teaching "You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself", several verses later with "You Shall Love the Stranger as Yourself", we know that we cannot only be concerned with our fellow Jew. We must support and aide our fellow Jews wherever they are in trouble in Israel, Argentina, the Former Soviet Union or Morocco, because that is a responsibility no one else with assume. But theologically, we understand our responsibilities to extend much further. Edmund Fleg, in his famous poem about Jewish identity wrote: I am a Jew because in every place that suffering weeps, the Jew weeps.

If remaining invisible is not an option for us for historical reasons, crawling into a shell, not available for political reasons, and ignoring the rest of the world unacceptable for theological reasons, what then will be the Jewish mechanism for survival in the century ahead and, more than that, what is and should be our relationship as Jews to the rest of the world?

I hesitate to talk about the future, as history has taught us that what the rabbis said about prophecy ending with the Second Temple is true. Jacob Rader Marcus, a great historian of American Jewry, is often quoted ironically for the very positive comments he made about the future of German Jewry writing in 1932. But I think we make a mistake when we jump immediately from every issue of anti-Semitism to that ultimate case in which there was no rational approach possible. I have been convinced by events over the past few years, and especially by the lead up to this war in Iraq, that anti-Semitism really exists in our own time, in our own country and around the world, but historically, we have not been fatalists, but strategists. From Jacob, who sent gifts to appease his brother and divided his camp, to the rabbis of the Talmud, who saw the Diaspora as a sort of insurance policy, a guarantee that no one enemy could wipe us all out, we have attempted to protect our own future in a variety of ways.

Most Jews today focus either on Israel, or on inter-group relations, as the ways to deal with anti-Semitism and guarantee Jewish survival. Zionists argue that a Jewish state protects not only those Jews who seek refuge within it but all Jews around the world. Israeli consulates mean that no Jew anywhere in the world can find him or herself stateless. But while Israel offers all Jews around the world some protection, the existence of a Jewish homeland has not normalized Jewish existence in the world. Israel is strong in many ways, including militarily, and is the destination for Jews escaping from troubles in a variety of countries around the world, even in the midst of the intifada, but Israel is also the trigger for certain kinds of anti-Semitism. Instead of being a nation just like any other nation, Israel has become the Jew among the nations, the pariah, the focus of inappropriate and exaggerated criticism and hatred. The mother whose goal it was to protect all her children, Israel is also the child who requires our protection and support.

American Jews usually focus on education about Judaism and about tolerance as the way to insure Jewish survival. If everyone knows that we Jews don't have horns and everyone buys into the idea that America is a place where all people live together in harmony, then all will be well. Defense organizations like the Anti Defamation League of B'nai Brith, the American Jewish Committee, and American Jewish Congress are active in monitoring anti-Semitic groups and taking legal action against them when appropriate. They work hard to combat bigotry in general, promote understanding of Judaism, and to protect the rights of all of Americans.

But I wonder if these approaches are sufficient. Our response to being such a small minority of a minority among the peoples of the earth cannot be to live alone in one small corner of the world, or when living in the Diaspora merely to focus on inter-group relations and fighting anti-Semitism. Our tradition calls upon us to take on a greater mission, and from a political perspective it's the only strategy available.

Judaism teaches us that we are responsibility for the well being of the world around us. We are God's partners in the work of Tikkun Olam, which is much broader than just protecting our own.

As we saw this morning in our reading, the Torah does not begin with Abraham nor, as the rabbi's of the Talmud suggest, with the story of the Exodus. It does not begin with the history of the Jewish people. The Torah begins with the creation of the world, and with the story of all humanity.

God's first instruction to a human, as presented in the Torah, is not the 613 commandments to the Jewish people, but the first commandment to Adam, to be fruitful and multiply and assume stewardship over "the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the living things that creep on the earth." God's second set of commandments are not specifically Jewish either, they are the 7 laws of Noah, the basis of civil society, including a prohibition on murder, robbery and adultery, and a requirement that courts of justice be established.

Adam was commanded to assume stewardship over "the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the living things that creep on the earth." Concerning the preservation of our planet, its eco-system, its variety of animal and plant species: this is a primary duty that we cannot ignore.

Noah was commanded seven basic laws to assure justice and protect the defenseless. If it concerns the establishment of justice, due process, the rights of the stranger, the immigrant, the poor, then it is a primary duty that cannot be overlooked.

If climate change effects the poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, with the devastating droughts, floods and infectious diseases, as outlined in the United Nations report of 2001, this profound human suffering will not be a "Jewish" problem, but our tradition tells us it is a Jewish responsibility and I cannot believe that it will be "good for the Jews".

If the safety net created by the New Deal is dismantled and the gap between rich and poor in this country continues to grow as dramatically as it has during the last few years, that will not be what we conventionally consider a "Jewish" problem, but it is exactly what our prophets spoke to us about, and again, I don't believe it will be "good for the Jews."

Judaism is not neutral regarding the incredible gaps that exist in our society between those who are privileged and those who struggle to hold their heads above water, between a small number of countries that consume most of the world's resources and the peoples of the rest of the globe. We do ourselves a disservice when we use the existence of anti-Semitism as a reason to withdraw from activism on issues of the general community's well being. Just the opposite, the existence of anti-Semitism should make us even more aware of how important it is for Jews as Jews to participate in all of the great issues of our times, and develop real partners in the outside community.

Our tradition calls on us to embrace the concerns of the world, and from a political perspective it's the only strategy available. The best example of the value of this approach is Rabbi David Saperstein, director of our movement's religious action center. After twenty five years of representing the causes of Reform Jews in Washington he is connected and respected: when he makes a call, people will speak to him, and when he feels strongly, they will hear what he has to say. He is able to put forward a common agenda on human issues such as prescription drug coverage for the elderly and able to get a hearing when something of particular Jewish concern comes up. For a minority of a minority, this is the only way to go.

My work in our local interfaith community is on a much lower level, and it has not prevented the recent chair of the Council of Churches from saying some pretty awful things about Israel. But it has given me a foot in the door to be invited to address those same congregations that are reading his monthly column and given me a voice at the table when the labor movement develops its Israel statement. Often when I go to a meeting about poverty or health care reform or the problems of our juvenile justice system , there are individual Jews present, but rarely is there any representation from what we call "the organized Jewish community." I am proud that individual young Jews, and sometimes older Jews, are motivated by the Jewish values they have been taught to do this holy work, but we also need people doing this work as Jews and as representatives of Jewish groups. If we work in coalition on issues like conservation, justice and poverty that are so central to our Jewish values, then I believe that we will be respected and given a hearing for those more particularly Jewish issues that do arise.

Finally I would like to propose one liturgical change that will keep this understanding of our relations as Jews to the rest of the world present in our minds, every time we attend a worship service.

Over the past year and a half since I returned from my sabbatical in Israel, I have often mentioned the custom of Israeli Reform Temples of adding a three word phrase- v'al kol yoshvei tevel, and on all who dwell on earth, to the last line of the kaddish where we pray for peace. Since Hebrew is their spoken language, there are many places where Israeli's feel freer to chance the actual wording of the prayer, while we might just change the English translation or interpretation.

At services at Shir Hadash, we have often added those words in solidarity with our Israeli movement and to balance the particularism of our listing the names of Israeli civilians killed in terrorist attacks during a particular week.

At first it seemed to me, too great a thing to change the Kaddish, this prayer with so much emotional significance. But I have become convinced that we can and we should.

First, this summer when we used the prayerbooks of the British Liberal movement, I noticed that they introduced " val kol bnai Adam and on every human being, " back in 1967. If the British, creatures of tradition such as they are, can handle this change, then so can we.

Secondly, the Kaddish, being in Aramaic, is even more than other prayers, an expression of the people, since Aramaic was the colloquial, the English of the 2nd century when the prayer was written. The Kaddish was created by a group of people, to express their heartfelt prayer and can be added to by a group of people so that it more fully expresses their hopes.

Thirdly, our Torah reading this morning didn't teach that Jews alone are God's people, but rather that every earthling, every Adam, is created in the image of God and so requires us to pray for peace for all humanity. And finally, I believe that if peace will come at all, it will come for us all. There will be no peace for the Jewish people, where there is not peace for others as well.

By adding these words v'al kol yoshvei tevel" we are reading the teachings of the Torah into the prayers of the people so that they might be before us, each time we pray. Oseh Shalom Bimromav, Hu Yaaseh Shalom, Aleinu V'al kol yisrael ve'al kol yoshvay tevel- we pray for peace for ourselves, for the whole Jewish community, and for all who dwell on earth.